


Till the End

by Captain_AK



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, F/M, Female Steve, Female Steve Rogers, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hydra (Marvel), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Protective Bucky Barnes, Psychological Torture, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Torture, give me genderbend or give me death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-19 21:17:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4761353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_AK/pseuds/Captain_AK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky Barnes was reluctantly drawn into the crazy lifestyle of an Avenger by Captain America herself, Stephanie "Stevie" Rogers.  He's gotten used to having friends for the first time in more than seventy years.  But when a mission goes terribly wrong...</p><p> <br/>Female Captain America.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm with

**Author's Note:**

> I've been a little (okay maybe a lot) obsessed with the idea of a female Captain America: how men would have treated her, what would have been different, what would have remained the same. And more specifically, what a relationship between female Cap and Bucky Barnes would be like. This idea came to me a few months ago...
> 
> ...I regret nothing.

# Till the End

## 1\. I'm with

##  __

Cold. Street full of people--ten, twenty, thirty--one alley on the right, possible escape route.  
Cold...  
Loose metal pipe thirty degrees, front right, easily ripped from wall, optional weapon.  
Shivering. He didn't understand that. Asset didn't feel, Asset followed orders. Obeyed.  
...but Asset's handlers were gone now. He was free. He didn't have to be 'Asset' anymore. He could try to remember who he used to be--what the blonde girl called him. Bucky. He could just be Bucky.  
Shivering. Lightheaded...difficult to keep a straight path. He stumbled down the alley to his right. Hit the wall. Legs buckled. Sliding down, vision spinning, head pounding.  
His head rested against the brick wall. He couldn't see straight.  
The Asset part of him was overpowering the Bucky part...soon he wouldn't remember, soon he would feel the need to kill...  
"...Bucky?"  
Dizzy. Eyes closed. Too tired. Ignored.  
Quiet rhythmic footsteps...flash of golden hair...then she was crouched in front of him.  
Her ice blue eyes studied his face, concerned. Gently, "Buck? Can you hear me?"  
He blinked. Groaned. Tried to turn, get into a defensible position, but too tired. Too tired.  
The blonde's eyes widened worriedly. Her voice stayed quiet. "Hey, shh, Buck, it's okay..." She put her warm hand lightly on his shoulder.  
He tensed. Eyes focused on her sharply. Assessing her body position, facial cues, checking for weapons...all clear. She appeared harmless. Where was her shield? Why was she making herself vulnerable to him like this?  
Her voice echoing in his memory answered his question. "I'm your friend."  
He knew who she was. Rogers, Stephanie Grace. No--not Stephanie. She hated being called that, so he always called her..."Stevie." Captain America, the country's golden girl, the Star-Spangled Gal. Carrier of the mighty flag shield...the shield that was now nowhere in sight.  
He blinked at her. Mouth too dry to talk. Less afraid of her now, more...curious.  
She smiled at him gently. "Bucky...it's okay, I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna take you to my apartment, okay?"  
Vision going dark. Felt himself being pulled to his feet--felt her drag his metal arm over her shoulder. Stumbling. Leaning against her for support. Her soft, encouraging words.  
"Don't worry. Till the end of the line, Buck."

__

* * *

The mission was clear. Sneak in, save the information on the Avengers flash drive, sneak back out. Easy enough--they'd done it a million times before. For Captain America and the Winter Soldier, the newest member of the Avengers--both soldiers, both former Howling Commandos--it was child's play.  
Stevie was wearing her flag-colored uniform. Her hair was in a low bun, meant for efficiency; Captain America couldn't afford getting her long blonde hair tugged in a fight. But over the past year of being with his best friend again, Bucky had noticed that she always placed the bun slightly to the left, and he knew it was because Stevie hated not seeing her hair when she looked in the mirror. "When people see it they remember that I'm a girl...and still kicking their butts," she once told him jokingly.  
...Bucky liked her hair. It was long and soft. And shiny. He liked it best when she left it down, which she used to do a lot more often back when they were kids, but now--  
He didn't realize he'd been staring at her until she spoke.  
"You ready Buck?" Stevie asked, giving one last tug to the straps that held her shield on her arm. Once it was tied she put her hand on her hip and looked at him.  
He blinked and came back to the present, then gave her a small cocky grin. "'Course I am. Born ready, Rogers."  
She smiled at him and raised an eyebrow. "Sure, if you say so Barnes."  
"Believe it, punk."  
"Yeah right, jerk."  
The comm set crackled, and a new voice joined in. "Ugh. Get a room, you '40s Catholics. I'm all the way back at the Tower, and I still could puke--"  
Bucky and Stevie replied together. "Shut up, Stark!"  
Once they were inside the building, the two split. He went left, she went right--whoever found the computer first would comm the other.  
Bucky was halfway around the building when static filled his ear, and she called his code name.  
"Soldier--it's Cap. Found the computer."  
Bucky pressed a metal finger to his ear to hear her better. "Copy. Room number?"  
"72--"  
A crash cut over her voice.  
Bucky frowned and tapped his comm. "Cap? Captain?"  
There was silence for one long, terrifying moment. Then she whispered, quiet and deathly serious. "Bucky. Get out. Now." More crashing. Loud voices, including hers. There was the screech of metal on metal, and a thumping sound that Bucky couldn't place.  
Forgetting the code names in his panic, he called, "Stevie?"  
A crunching noise. Stevie yelling. "Get out, Soldier!"  
Bucky ran like hell. Not trying to be quiet at all, he ran back the way he came and followed Stevie's path to the right, checking every room. His heart pounded, he couldn't breathe, where was that stupid punk?  
The sounds of a scuffle echoed off the walls around him, then what sounded like Stevie's voice again... before it choked out and went silent.  
"Stevie!" he almost screamed.  
He threw open the door to room 726--there was the computer against the far wall, but the room was empty. He took a step forward, and heard a loud crunch, both from under his foot and in his comm set.  
Bucky looked down.  
Laying at his feet were Stevie's broken earpiece...and her abandoned shield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My name is AK and I like writing funny little notes.


	2. you till

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might be a little shorter. Sorry. But it does contain one of my favorite lines.
> 
> Should I add an epilogue to this story...? Can't decide.

## 2\. you till

He searched for weeks--well, they all did, but sometimes Bucky felt like he was all alone in his search.  
The other Avengers were starting to worry about Bucky. All he wanted, all he did, all he cared about was finding Stevie.  
He rarely ate or slept.  
One morning the Avengers came down to breakfast to find Bucky sitting at the kitchen counter, reading over files about Captain America. He was exactly where they had left him the night before. After sharing a look, they carried out their plan silently.  
Bruce set a mug full of (decaf) coffee in front of Bucky who, without even glancing up, mumbled a "thanks" and began to sip at it. A few minutes went by before the sedative Bruce had slipped into the drink took effect. First Bucky's shoulders sank. Then his arms fell forward onto the counter. He looked around at his team with something akin to betrayal before he passed out in exhaustion, and was carried off to his bed over Thor's shoulder.  
Tony had spent the weeks using his Stark tech to try to track down Capsicle--social media, government records, security cam footage. But so far nothing had turned up.  
Though loath to say it out loud, the Avengers were all thinking the same thing: it might be fruitless. They would have to resume normal missions at some point.  
It was with great caution that Tony approached Bucky, a grim look on his face.  
"Barnes," the inventor said awkwardly. "Look, we're not gonna stop searching for Cap...but we have to start taking down HYDRA bases again. It's our job."  
Bucky stared hard at him. "It sounds an awful lot like you're giving up."  
"No! I'm not. I swear on everything, I'm really not." Tony looked down, fiddling with a screwdriver in his hand. He said quietly, "Cap...Stevie's a good friend to me. I'd never give up on her. But I also know she wouldn't want us to stop taking down the organization she hates."  
Bucky opened his mouth to retort; but after a second, he realized that Tony was probably right. Stevie was ridiculously stubborn, especially when it came to HYDRA. He could practically hear her voice in his head, telling him to hurry up and get on it, you jerk.  
"You're right," he finally said quietly.  
Tony blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry. Did you just say I'm right?"  
Bucky nodded. "You know Stevie--all that Captain America, honor and justice stuff. She wants us to do this."  
Tony nodded, an almost sympathetic look on his face. He patted a firm hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Don't worry, Robocop. We're gonna find her. Then we're gonna beat the crap out of the assholes who took her. That much I swear."

Tony's computers located a hidden HYDRA base in the Swiss Alps.  
Bucky put on his uniform--a modified, Navy blue-and-black version of his Winter Soldier outfit--and made his way toward the jet. But Natasha stopped him on the ramp.  
"James," she said meaningfully, looking into his eyes, then glancing down. Bucky followed her gaze. Between Natasha's slim hands, held out to him carefully, was Stevie's shield.  
His eyes widened. "No."  
"Please--she would want you to. You're the only one she'd have carry it."  
Bucky ground his jaw together. "She's not dead."  
"I never said she was." Natasha leveled him with a stare, one that more than beat his own. "I'm asking you to carry her with you while you look for her."  
The rest of the Avengers had stopped to watch the stubborn glaring war, and it was completely silent. The former Winter Soldier was glaring at his boots, flesh and metal fists clenched at his sides.  
That was never a good sign.  
After a moment, Bucky let out a long breath. He snatched up the shield, holding it against his chest as he stalked into the jet.  
The other Avengers let out a collective sigh after he was gone. A fight between Soldier and Widow never ended well, and the only person who had ever successfully broken one up--well, she was now MIA.  
Thor gripped the handle of his hammer tightly, shoulders hunched in like he was trying to hide. The pose was reminiscent of a kicked puppy. He looked up at his teammates with round, electric-blue eyes and said hesitantly, "We will find the Captain...right?"  
No one answered immediately. Natasha and Clint glanced at each other, then quickly turned to sharpening their weapons. Bruce wrung his hands together, his expression pained.  
Tony stared at the floor with hardened eyes. He held his Iron Man helmet so tightly that his fingers turned white. After a moment he spoke in a low, firm voice. "Yes Thor. We will."  
The others looked at him, doubt on their faces. Tony met each of their eyes, standing up straight and confident. He knew this was how Stevie gave the team confidence, and he just prayed it would work the same for him.  
Slowly Clint nodded. Then Bruce, followed by Natasha.  
Thor beamed in his huge-but-still-endearing way. "Then we must continue our search. We shall bring our friend Stephanie home."

Every few days, the Avengers loaded into their plane and jetted off to the most recently discovered HYDRA base. They would infiltrate, destroy central computers, and take any prisoners they could. Bucky came on every mission; and secretly, the main reason he did was because he hoped that Stevie would be in one of the bases.  
This went on for two more weeks.  
Bucky wouldn't admit it, but even he was starting to have nagging thoughts.  
He carried the Captain America shield with him at all times. At night he kept it next to his bed. Sometimes, he would wake up from a nightmare and find that his hand was clamped around it. The red-white-and-blue disc was a sort of comfort to him; it still carried the faint scent of his little punk.

Stark's computer found another hit. The base was located in northern Germany.  
Natasha was away on another solo mission, and Thor was off-planet. It was too short-notice to alert them. So it was just Bruce, Clint, Tony, and Bucky who loaded onto the Quinjet.  
"Whoop whoop! Road trip, road trip."  
"Shut up, Stark."  
Several hours later, Clint landed the jet right outside the ten-floored German HYDRA base.  
The second they touched down, Tony, who was already in his Iron Man suit, opened the ramp. "I'll circle 'round. See what I can see." With that he blasted off and disappeared into the sky.  
Clint climbed out of the pilot's seat and grabbed his bow and quiver, while Bucky slipped the Captain America shield onto his right arm. It felt heavy to him.  
Bruce stood in the back, next to the small medical area. "Call if you need me--but I doubt you will," he said with his lopsided smile, pushing his glasses up on his nose.  
"Will do." Clint notched an arrow as he spoke. Then turning to Bucky, "Ready?"  
"As much as I'll ever be." Rolling his shoulders, he followed the archer into the base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My name is AK, and good lord my driver's test has been rescheduled twice already. Bleh.


	3. the end

## 3\. the end

Metal arms come in useful sometimes.  
With one good punch, Bucky knocked the front door off its hinges. Clint swooped inside, and his bow twanged satisfyingly as he shot down the agents in the hallway.  
The Soldier and Hawkeye had grown to respect each other, once they discovered how well they worked together. They still didn't work as well as Bucky did with Stevie, but...close.  
The two of them worked their way quickly through the base, taking down every HYDRA agent they could. Bucky let his anger over Stevie's disappearance fuel his fighting.  
They took her.  
Punch.  
They hurt her when she was captured--Bucky had heard her pained yells himself.  
Crack!  
His friend, the stupid little punk who never ran from a fight. Best friend. Not only that; the girl he--  
Punch, snap. Snap. SNAP.  
Soon the entire first floor of the building was cleared. Bucky led the way silently up the stairs. There was a man in a labcoat at the top, speaking rapidly into a walkie-talkie. The words were German, but Bucky had spent long enough with HYDRA to understand what was said.  
A static-filled voice from the other end intoned, "Base is compromised. Move her immediately."  
The agent on the stairs replied, panicked, "Too late! They're already here..."  
Loud German cursing came through the walkie-talkie. "Fine...I'm turning on her langsamen Einfrieren."  
And that was when Bucky attacked, knocking the walkie-talkie to the floor and crushing it. Part of his mind was frantically searching for the English translation of langsamen Einfrieren, but he kept drawing a complete blank; a blank so complete it might as well have been erased. (It probably was, now that Bucky thought about it.) He grabbed the agent's collar with his metal hand, dragging him up off the ground.  
"Who--are you moving?" Bucky growled in the agent's face.  
The poor German man, obviously only a scientist, stammered then clamped his mouth shut.  
Bucky made a frustrated noise then knocked him out cold.  
Clint came up behind just as the scientist slumped to the ground. He whistled. "Nice."  
"Yeah, real nice," Bucky muttered. He hefted Stevie's shield up on his arm and started down the hall. "Come on. He said there's a prisoner here."

Flying high above the base, Tony was running scans of the building.  
"JARVIS, scan for lifeform heat signatures inside."  
"Yes, sir."  
All the HYDRA goons were fleeing the base, or had already been killed. So it wasn't hard for genius, billionaire, lots-of-other-things-too Tony Stark to locate the heat signatures of his teammates down below.  
"Agent Barton and Sergeant Barnes have just arrived on the second floor, sir."  
"Okay good, Bird-Brain and Robocop are alive...anything else?"  
"Yes sir--there is a definite heat signature on the eighth floor. But it is dangerously below the average human body temperature."  
Tony frowned. He examined the heat map that was superimposed on his mask screen.  
"...Yikes."  
Where Clint's and Bucky's signal dots appeared as bright orange, the signature on the eighth floor was pale yellow, and steadily paling. "JARVIS, comm Agent Bird-Brain for me, will ya? I gotta tell 'em there's someone left inside..."  
He kept flying circles around the building, distracted by monitoring what happened below. So he didn't notice the small, unmanned flying weapon aimed straight for him until it was almost on him.  
"...oh. Shit."

The second floor was completely deserted.  
Bucky and Clint still checked every room. Most were libraries, or scientific labs. Then near the far end, Clint paused in a narrow doorway.  
"Barnes...check this out."  
They both stood shoulder to shoulder and looked in. The room was barely bigger than a coat closet, and the back wall was lined from floor to ceiling with shelves. Oddly enough, only one shelf was in use. It was piled with small plastic bags full of a thick red liquid. Blood.  
Clint made a face and picked up one of the bags. "This is just plain w--" The archer froze for a long moment, the bag clenched tightly in his hands. "The hell...?"  
"What is it?" Bucky stepped closer and looked at the bag, labeled Serum Blood, with a date and time scrawled underneath. His heart nearly stopped in his chest.  
Clint looked up hesitantly, one eyebrow cocked. "Could this prisoner be...?"  
Bucky cut him off. "I don't know." He quickly shuffled through the rest of the blood bags. They all read the same. Serum Blood, and a date. Sharply, "Help me. Check the dates, and find the earliest one."  
The two men crowded in front of the shelf, flicking through the bags as fast as they could. There were three bags for each day: one in the morning, afternoon, and evening. How much blood did they take? After two minutes of scanning, Clint held up a bag. "This one. Drawn three days after Stevie disappeared."  
Bucky snatched it and held it gingerly in his hands, eyes wide. Stevie. He had to find his Stevie. "She's here...she's gotta be." He rushed off and started checking all the rooms again.  
Clint was following him. "Barnes, wait--we can't waste time checking every room again. We gotta narrow this down, quick." He didn't say it of course, but they were both thinking it: by the looks of that blood, we need to find her now.  
Bucky growled in frustration and continued checking doors. His Brooklyn accent seeped through, like it always seemed to when he experienced powerful emotion. "If ya got a better plan, I'm all ears!" Then he started stalking toward the stairs that went down to the first floor, so he could re-check the rooms.  
Clint opened his mouth to speak, but then his earpiece crackled. Among the sounds of explosion and gunfire, a voice could be heard.  
"Bird-Brain, Bird-Brain, come in Bird-Brain."  
After rolling his eyes once, Clint replied. "What is it, Stark? And why do I hear explosions?"  
"Getting attacked. No biggie...aw damn, there's more bots coming in. But there's actually something more important--" Tony paused, and Bucky and Clint could hear the sound of the Iron Man repulsors firing. Then Tony's voice continued, sounding urgent. "Upstairs. Quick."  
Bucky turned to listen, an intense expression on his face. Could the prisoner actually be...?  
Clint frowned and pressed a hand to his earpiece. "Upsta--why?"  
"There's a heat signature on the eighth floor, but it's getting colder by the sec--" Tony's voice turned to a new level of panic. "Holy crap."  
Clint pressed a hand to his ear. "What, what is it?! Spit it out, Stark!"  
Tony's voice was unusually serious. "A machine just turned on up there, and whatever it is, it's making the prisoner's temp drop like crazy. Five minutes, tops. Get up there now!"  
The archer and the soldier met worried eyes for just a split second, before they dashed for the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My name is AK and my friend is making me a costume for Comic-Con.


	4. of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...words that I wrote from my brain have been read by more than five hundred people. That's crazy. Thank you so much! I hope you're enjoying it. Feel free to comment!

## 4\. of

Bucky could feel Clint on his heels as he pounded up the stairs. His own heart was beating out of his chest.  
Tony's words echoed in his mind: _getting colder by the second._ Why would the heat signature be getting colder? Bucky's thoughts were racing, trying to come up with any explanation--then a sudden memory flash stopped him in his tracks.  
_He was strapped down into the metal chair. The men in white coats did something to him, whatever they did made pictures flash before his eyes. Pictures of everything he feared._  
Shooting, killing. Falling in the cold. Gunshots. A small blonde girl getting beaten in front of him, and him not being able to save her. That last one was the worst, the one he feared the most.  
Everything he feared.  
Everything they feared. That was how HYDRA tortured its prisoners.  
Bucky stopped so suddenly on the stairs that Clint ran into his back.  
"OW! The heck Barnes, keep moving--"  
Suddenly Bucky remembered the English translation for _langsamen Einfrieren._  
It meant 'slow freeze'.  
Bucky turned to face Clint and cut him off, voice low and urgent. "Go to the jet."  
Clint's eyes went wide. "What?! Are you nuts?"  
Bucky paused in frustration, wanting to make him understand, but time was ticking, she was up there slowly dying...  
"Clint! Just listen to me--the prisoner's Stevie."  
That got his attention. The wide eyes narrowed and Clint's face smoothed into his efficient SHIELD agent mask. "You think so?"  
Bucky spoke rapidly in fear. "I know so--they're using freeze torture."  
Clint's face clenched up in horror. "Son of a--"  
Bucky kept looking at his watch, and he cut the archer off once more, voice panicked. "Just go down and help Stark take out the bots. As soon as I'm clear, you tell him to light this building up."  
Clint gave him an unreadable look, then bounded down the stairs four at a time, screaming into his comm. "Stark! Soon as we're out, we gotta blow this pop stand sky-high..."  
But Bucky barely heard him. Without remembering how he got there, he was suddenly pounding up the stairs, breathing heavy, heart racing, blood roaring in his ears.

Third floor. Fourth floor.  
Four minutes left, _if_ he was lucky.  
Fifth floor, sixth.  
The burning of his lungs only made him run faster.  
Three minutes left.  
Seventh.  
_Stevie, Stevie, Stevie--_  
Eighth. He banged into the hall and looked around wildly. He was in a long corridor that stretched across the building level. There were only three doors on the entire floor, the first two metal, and the far one entirely made of glass and reflecting a dancing blue light.  
Bucky raced toward it and tried to look through the floor-to-ceiling glass. What he saw was worse than he could've imagined.  
The room was maybe eight feet, square. It was just an enormous freezer. It was so cold that thick frost webbed across the outside of the glass, blurring the view. Using his warm flesh hand, Bucky rubbed frantically at the glass until the ice melted and he could look in.  
Water was trickling into the freezer from several grates high up on the wall. Bucky quickly followed its trail from the ceiling down to the floor, where it culminated into eight inches of still, icy water, stained with splashes of red blood...  
Sprawled on the floor in the back corner was a girl. Stephanie Grace Rogers, pale and unmoving. The water only an inch from covering her nose and mouth. He had maybe one minute.  
"STEVIE!" Bucky screamed louder than he thought he could. She didn't move.  
His balled metal fist collided with the glass. A long web of cracks appeared, but the glass didn't break. He screamed at her again, beating on the door with all his might.  
Inside, the water kept rising. It was painfully slow...so slow that you wouldn't notice you were being drowned unless you were looking for it.  
Bucky watched in horror as her face was buried.  
Time slowed down and sped up all at once. He gave another punch. Then desperately, he turned and slammed Stevie's shield against the glass, throwing all of his body weight behind it.  
The door shattered. Glass caved in, falling in a million pieces, then there was cold liquid rushing out of the freezer and past Bucky's shoes. Even through the thick leather boots, the water felt bone-chilling, so cold that there were ice chunks floating in it.  
Bucky jumped through the hole in the glass, and ran to the back of the cell. He slid onto his knees next to the limp body, and his eyes went wide in horror.  
She looked bad...she was practically frozen, her lips nearly the same blue as her eyes. The insides of her elbows were bleeding profusely, and her shivers were so weak they were almost invisible.  
"Stevie--" Bucky immediately grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, staring down at her worriedly. "Come on, punk, please..."  
For a long moment nothing happened. He couldn't even see a breath. Then Stevie's eyes opened halfway, and she started to wheeze and cough. Bucky held her up and turned her to the side, so she could cough the icy water from her lungs. Her eyes were glazed and confused, roving over him without focus. She kept trying to mumble, but her tongue was heavy in her mouth, and her teeth were chattering. "N...no' enough...time..."  
Bucky shushed her gently, pulling her into his lap. Her thin clothes were sopping wet, and he ignored the feeling of the water drenching his own uniform. He held her chin with one hand, trying to make her meet his eyes. "Stevie, baby can you hear me? I'm here. I'm here now."  
She just shivered violently, teeth chattering, looking straight ahead at something he couldn't see. Her eyes looked terrified.  
His comm started to crackle in his ear. There was a _boom,_ then Clint spoke. _"Barnes, update!"_  
"I've got her," Bucky half-shouted. "I've got Stevie, she can't hear me..."  
_"Her temp's still dropping,"_ Tony chimed in sharply, shouting over gunfire. After a moment, he choked out, "Shit, she just went hypothermic!"  
Bucky looked down, and saw that Stevie's shivering was weaker than it had been only a moment before.  
His voice came out loud and forceful, and maybe (if he were honest with himself) a little scared. "Stark, come get her, take her to the jet!" He held his flesh hand against her neck, trying to get her blood to stop feeling like ice under his fingers...  
_"He can't--we're kind of under fire,"_ said Clint.  
There were several explosions, then Tony said in a tight voice, _"Start down the stairs! Get her the hell out."_  
The former Soldier didn't even bother with a reply. He snaked his arms under Stevie's knees and back, and picked her up like a rag doll, her shoulders resting on her own shield. She shivered and turned toward his chest, weakly trying to get to the warmth that came off him in waves.  
"Shh, it's okay sweetheart, it's okay," Bucky murmured. He stood up, holding Stevie tightly against him, and left through the ragged hole in the glass.  
When they were out of the freezer the temperature warmed by at least twenty degrees. The sudden change seemed to shock Stevie. She blinked and gasped and tried to talk again, rambling again. "Gotta...in the water..." Her attempt at twisting out of his arms was too weak to even be called putting up a fight.  
Bucky just held on to her tighter, brow creasing with worry as he practically ran down the stairs. "No, there's no more water, Stevie. I promise. We're going home."  
He dashed down four flights of stairs, not even breaking his stride when he adjusted his grip on her.  
Stevie shivered. Her skin was so pale that he swore there was a blue tinge. The next words that came out of her mouth were quiet and wavering, determined but scared. "S'okay...I g-get to go dance with Bucky now, Peg..."  
Bucky's eyes widened. He skidded to a stop, looked down, and searched Stevie's face. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be holding her breath. Then he realized what was happening: she was reliving her plane crash into the ocean. The delirious ramblings were a repetition of the last conversation she had with her friend Peggy Carter.  
Bucky's heart tore at the idea that Stevie's last thought had been of dancing with him.  
Three more sets of stairs. She was still shivering, which he decided was good. Could only _pray_ was good. Bucky kept holding onto that as he ran.  
Two more stairs.  
He glanced down at her face: shivering, eyes flickering behind her lids. Her breathing was slowing.  
"No! Don't you dare go to sleep on me punk," he practically yelled in her face, and gave her shoulders a small jerk.  
Stevie made a wordless sound and her eyes cracked open, unfocused.  
Trying to keep his panicking voice gentle, he said, "There you go, that's it. Just keep looking at me, Stevie. Look at me."  
Her eyes stopped roving. For a second, Stevie was looking straight at him. She rasped, voice rough and scratchy with disuse, "...Buck...?"  
Bucky's eyes widened. He nodded, watching her face worriedly. "Yeah, baby, it's me."  
She looked at him in disbelief--probably brushing him off as hallucination--and tried to lift a hand to his face. It shook and didn't go far before dropping back down, and her eyes were sad.  
He pulled her closer to his chest. "I'm real, I promise..."  
The comm crackled. All the explosions had died down. _"Barnes, are you close? The bots are gone. We gotta go!"_  
Bucky hit ground level. His eyes were glued to the door ahead, and suddenly he was outside in the sun, racing toward the jet.  
"Light her up and let's get out of here!" he shouted into his earpiece.  
_"We're ready to roll,"_ said Clint over the comm. Bucky could see the archer ahead, standing in the doorway and watching anxiously as they approached.  
Bucky reached the foot of the ramp and paused to catch his breath, chest heaving. And Captain America was pale and quickly fading in his arms, her soaked blonde hair hanging in a tangle towards the ground.  
Clint's eyes went round. "God...Bruce!" He turned and started yelling panicked instructions at the doctor.  
Just as Bucky reached the foot of the ramp, Stark had flown down from the sky and landed beside him. He was busy having his suit dismantled, and had his eyes on the ground as he started up his usual quip. "Barnes, explosion's on your call. You got the Capsi..." The inventor's voice trailed off into stunned silence when he saw Stevie. He stepped out of his Iron Man suit and looked down at her.  
For the first time ever, Tony Stark was completely at a loss for words.  
"Blow it," Bucky growled, jerking his head at the building.  
Tony gave him an unreadable look, then nodded and pressed his hand to his ear. "You heard him, JARVIS."  
A low roar, a flash of fire, and the HYDRA compound was in flames. Tony turned to watch it. "Good riddance."  
Stevie suddenly jerked, her hand grasping his forearm as she let out a surprised sound.  
Bucky looked down instantly, opening his mouth to assuage her fear. But there was no time to speak anyway, because just then Bruce came hurrying down the ramp. He stopped in front of Bucky and swiftly gave Stevie a once-over, his face tight with worry. "She's freezing..." With strength that surprised everyone, he lifted the captain out of Bucky's arms and dashed back into the jet, calling over his shoulder, "Get in, Clint's about to take off!"  
Sharing a glance, Bucky and Tony hurried on board and closed the ramp behind them. Immediately the engine revved up, and they were in the air.  
Bucky started to unstrap the shield from his arm, but looked toward the back of the cabin and stopped. Bruce had Stevie laid out on a stretcher. His hands were flying over the medical supplies on the table, preparing something in a plastic bag.  
The good doctor worked fast. Stevie's frozen clothes had already been cut off and tossed to the floor, replaced with a thermal insulating blanket. Her eyes were closed, and she was still shivering.  
It wasn't until Bucky felt the hand on his shoulder that he realized he had been walking toward her. He turned and saw Tony giving him a grim, yet surprisingly gentle, smile. "Relax. You found her. Capsi--" He cut himself off, not feeling inclined to use the nickname at the moment. "Stevie's gonna be fine."  
"I know," he said--his voice was hoarse, and it hitched at the end.  
Tony patted Bucky's arm. "Just sit for a second. Take a breather. I'll check on her for you." He walked into the makeshift hospital area and spoke to Bruce, who handed him an IV bag.  
"Hold that up. As soon as I have the needle in, I'll hang it on the ceiling so you don't have to--"  
He stopped talking when Stevie screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My name is AK and I like cupcakes.


	5. the

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done writing my next story that I'll be posting on here. It's a one-shot about Avengers bro-ship. Pretty happy with it so far.

## 5\. the

She had no idea what was going on.  
She had only just gotten used to the sick routine of the icebox: a handful of cold, soggy food in the morning. Pacing around the room to try to keep warm. Having her blood forcibly drawn, in enormous quart bags, leaving her weak and half-conscious on the floor. So weak that she was unable to stand to get away from the rising water, water that would always stop just below her head...  
Until that last time.  
The water rose over her face _and the plane was crashing in the ocean, glass imploding and throwing her out of her seat. Slowly choking, lungs filling up, trying to stay calm and think of Bucky. She was crashing this plane to save New York, but also for him. He was dead, she didn't mind being dead if it was with him. She was trying to imagine Bucky, smiling down at her, being there with her while she slowly choked to death... ___  
Then the water suddenly went away, and he _was. ___  
Bucky was there, looking down at her. But wait, wasn't she supposed to be in her plane, in the Arctic...? She figured that this was dying, because she could feel heat--nearly a foreign concept by this point--rolling off him. And there was no way it could be warm in that forsaken box.  
She was suddenly picked up, and the movement hurt. Dying hurt, she decided. But it was _warm ___, so she supposed it was alright. She could finally close her eyes. They slipped shut and she started to drift, but before she got far a voice was trying to drag her back.  
"No! Don't you dare go to sleep on me punk...there you go, that's it...Stevie. Look at me."  
It was hard, but she found herself blinking up into Bucky's face. The _real __Bucky, _really__ smiling down at her. He was actually there.  
Stevie's eyes widened, and she heard herself grate out, "...Buck...?" She forced a numb hand up toward his cheek, but it fell back nervelessly. Her limbs were numb and heavy and frozen.  
He said something in response, but she barely heard it. Everything was blurring together. There was a lot of movement. Next she felt different arms holding her--  
_No Bucky don't go! ___  
Voices, blurred movement. Her vision blinked back into focus, and the only thing she saw was the needle above her face.  
_HYDRA had somehow stolen her back from Bucky. ___  
_They were going to take her blood, and put her back in the freezer. ___  
She screamed and lashed out wildly, trying to get up from the table. Hands tried to touch her, and even though they were warm she smacked them away. She couldn't stay here, she had to find Bucky and run.  
A voice right above her face was shouting. "Guys, she's freaking out--"  
"--get that needle away from her--"  
Someone else was trying to shove his way toward her. "Back up, you're scaring her!"  
"Hold her down, she's gonna hurt herself--" A hand landed on Stevie's arm, right where her blood was always drawn. Stevie turned wildly and slammed her fist into something. It made a loud crack and the owner of the hand grunted in pain.  
Then a voice roared above the others. "MOVE!"  
All the yelling went silent...which was even more unsettling. Stevie was still dizzily struggling to get up, to move, to run, but her body wasn't cooperating.  
A moment went by when nothing happened. Then two hands, one hot and one cool, wrapped around Stevie's shoulders and held her still.  
"Look at me, doll," the man murmured, icy blue eyes meeting her own. His dark hair was messy. _He really needs a haircut... ___  
"Bucky--" Her voice came out strained and choked, and she hated it.  
He smiled at her and nodded. "It's okay," he said softly. "We're on the plane, they can't hurt you anymore. It's okay Stevie."  
Stevie blinked once in shock then started to look around. She started to tilt to one side, dangerously near the edge of the bed, but Bucky's arms tightened around her and held her upright.  
The room seemed to shift before her. It wasn't the HYDRA base. She was in the jet. Standing near her were not people who wanted to hurt her, but her friends:  
Bruce, who was clasping his hands behind his back, smiled.  
Clint had stepped out of the cockpit to run back and help. He grinned from where he stood behind Bruce, and pointed an imaginary finger-gun at her.  
Tony stood on Stevie's left, by her head. One of his hands was pinching his now-bruised nose.  
Stevie's eyes widened in horror. "D-did I--?"  
Tony waved her off. "Don't worry about it, didn't even hurt that bad." His arms were crossed and his expression was neutral, but his worried eyes gave him away. "You're...not allowed to get captured again, Rogers," he said gruffly. "Gave me gray hair."  
Stevie smiled up at him faintly. Teeth chattering, she shot back immediately, "You already h-had that, Tony."  
Bruce looked away and snorted. Clint huffed out a loud laugh. Even Bucky had to smirk.  
"Ugh, whatever." Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes. But then his face softened, and he awkwardly patted her damp hair. "Seriously though...I mean it. No more kidnappings for you."  
"Okay Tony."  
"So help me, I'll implant a tracking device in yo--"  
Several voices interrupted. "Shut up, Stark."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My name is AK and yay it's October!


	6. line.

## 6\. line.

Eventually, everyone drifted off to their seats. But Bucky stayed in the back of the plane for the rest of the ride. The Captain and the Soldier sat pressed together on the narrow cot, his arm around her.  
After she had calmed down, Bucky sat on the bed with her and held her tight while Bruce got an IV in her arm.  
"I'm not drawing blood," the doctor promised gently. "It's nutrients for you."  
Stevie nodded tightly and laid her head on Bucky's shoulder. She didn't watch.  
Her face started to gain back a little color, but she still shivered with phantom chills. Bucky ran a hand over her blonde hair, rubbed her arms to warm them. Anything to assure her he was real and she was safe. Eventually he noticed that her eyes were drooping shut. She was...kind of...cute, cuddled up to him like that, so he just kept up the gentle touches and watched her sleep. For once her face was relaxed.  
The others all stayed near the front of the plane to give them privacy. After a few hours, the sound of boots broke the comfortable silence. Clint walked to the back of the jet, looking worn out. "We're five minutes out from the T--"  
Bucky silenced him by putting a metal finger to his mouth, and flicking his eyes down at Stevie. Thankfully, she didn't wake up.  
Clint took in the sight and smiled a little. He mouthed Aww, gave Bucky a thumbs up, then turned and silently returned to the cockpit.  
Bucky decided that Clint was almost as bad as Stark when it came to teasing.  
The jet finally touched down at Avengers Tower. After waiting for everyone else to leave, Bucky stood up from the cot. He carefully removed Stevie's IV and pressed a bandage over her arm. Then he scooped Stevie up in his arms, blanket and all, holding his breath as her eyebrows furrowed.  
After a tense moment, she shifted, pressed her face into his neck, and sighed softly, drifting back to sleep.  
He smirked and quietly made his way off the plane.

Tony and Clint were standing in the kitchen having an animated conversation. Bruce sat in a bar stool opposite them, sipping his coffee as he watched them like a tennis match. None of the men noticed when Bucky walked in, trying to slip past them into the bedroom hallway.  
...so close.  
Just as Bucky got to his bedroom door, the conversation died away, and he looked up to find three sets of eyes on him.  
"Cap let you carry her in?" Tony said loudly, surprise evident in his raised eyebrows.  
Bucky shrugged gently, trying not to jostle her. "Didn't see the need in wakin' her up."  
Clint and Tony's jaws both dropped, and they glanced at each other. Bruce, unfazed as usual, smiled. "Let me know if you need anything."  
Bucky nodded and disappeared into his bedroom with Stevie. As soon as the door clicked shut, Tony and Clint both unfroze and whirled on Bruce.  
"Did he just--"  
"They're actually sharing a--"  
"Leave them alone, guys," Bruce sighed, giving a pointed look.  
"But Bruce, the--"  
"Don't do it Tony."  
"But _Bruce_ \--"  
"I mean it."  
" _The 40s Catholics are sharing a bedroom!"_ Tony hissed.  
Clint nodded vigorously. Bruce just rolled his eyes. "And?"  
"And--and--that's weird. Do they--"  
_"Tony!"_  
"--share a room a lot?" Tony finished, smiling wickedly at how red Bruce's face had suddenly gotten.  
Clint frowned. "I don't think so, we would've noticed. Right? Bruce?"  
The doctor just shrugged noncommittally and went back to his coffee. When he glanced up and saw the stunned expressions on his friends' faces, Bruce had to use his mug to hide a smile.

It was dark and silent when Bucky heard a gasp.  
He instantly brought his arms around Stevie and rubbed her back. "S'alright," he mumbled, voice heavy with sleep. "My room. Avengers Tower. You're safe, Steves."  
She raised her head off his chest and looked down, sighing in relief. "Bucky." Her eyes still looked tight, and she brought both hands up to cup his cheeks. "I thought I was--"  
"I know." Bucky sat up against the headboard and kept his arms wrapped around her waist. He smiled, his eyes a swirl of emotions. "You'll never have to go back there again. Stark blew it up. It's gone."  
Stevie nodded faintly, then looked away. "How long?"  
"...Eight weeks," Bucky murmured reluctantly. "I never stopped looking."  
She nodded, not meeting his eyes. "I'm sorry."  
"No." Bucky shook his head immediately, one hand coming up to brush back her hair. "Don't you dare apologize, Rogers. None of this was your fault, you hear me?" He gazed at her for a long moment, then sighed. "If I'd been faster that day, maybe this wouldn't have happened."  
"Stop that," Stevie scolded lightly. "It wasn't your fault either." Their eyes met again, and neither one looked away. Stevie's face warmed.  
Bucky nodded. "It doesn't even matter anymore." His metal arm around her waist pulled her closer, and his flesh hand cupped her face gently. "'Cuz as far as I can see, you're stuck with me till the end of the line, doll."  
Stevie grinned, leaning into his touch. "I think I'm okay with that."  
"Yeah?"  
"Yeah."  
"Good." Bucky grinned like a teenager, then suddenly realized how close they were. Before he could even open his mouth, Stevie dropped a kiss on his cheek and grinned. "Till the end of the line, jerk?"  
"Till the end of the line, and then some, punk," he agreed, before pulling her closer and kissing her.

"Everyone keep an eye on your six, these robots are fast," Captain America called over the comms.  
When Cap and the Winter Soldier were on the ground, containing the fighting like this, Bucky would sometimes just stop and watch her. She spun and attacked each robot with more grace than was fair for somebody to have. Even though she was sweaty, and there was robot grease and grime streaked across her face, Bucky thought she looked beautiful.  
Her hair had fallen out of its slightly-left-tilted bun. The remaining blonde ponytail hung down her back in long blonde waves, whipping behind her every time she turned. It was a little dirty too, but still soft. And shiny.  
Stevie paused in a lull of the attack, catching her breath. She turned toward him, and grinned. "Slackin' off, soldier?" She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder with her left hand, where a ring now sparkled on her fourth finger.  
Bucky smirked and sauntered over, saying, "Ogling my captain, ma'am."  
"Yeah?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well I think I can overlook it this time." She looked up at him with bright eyes, started to lean in--  
Bucky saw movement over her shoulder. "Watch out!" He grabbed Stevie and spun her out of the way, taking down the bot with three shots from his pistol.  
She looked at the dying bot, and took a deep breath. "Thanks."  
"Gotta watch your back, punk," Buckky muttered, running his hand over her hair once.  
She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Nah. I watch yours and you watch mine, jerk."  
The fighting soon started up again, and they stayed back to back, smiling at the words. They'd protect each other till the end of the line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy with this first story. And I'm even more amazed that people, you know, READ it.  
> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments! I love comments, they're the most amazing presents you could give an author. I hope you all enjoyed the story (I did).  
> I have more stories planned for publishing on this account, so stick around. The next one is about Avengers bro-ship, but then the next one...may or may not be a Bucky and Stevie story...
> 
> My name is AK, and I love all of you.


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